The present invention relates to portable seating systems and more particularly to a powered telescopic seating riser assembly for a seating system with a multiple of seating configurations drivable between at least an extended position, a half-deployed position, and a stored position.
Seating risers are designed for use in auditoriums, gymnasiums, and event halls to accommodate spectators on portable seats, such as folding chairs. Depending on the intended use, a facility may require seating risers that are capable of being moved from a retracted position for storage, to an extended position for use.
Heretofore, many conventional seating riser structures have been utilized for nonpermanent seating. These conventional systems generally utilize a series of assemblies having seating risers of given heights which store within close proximity to one another.
Because of the temporary nature of the seating used by some organizations and the large storage area required to house non-permanent seating systems when not extended for use, it is desirable to provide a variety of seating configurations with a single non-permanent seating system. With conventional non-permanent seating systems, several assemblies are placed adjacent one another, for instance, to form the seating along an athletic playing surface. Although modular in this sense, conventional non-permanent seating systems have a rise always constant with respect to the run.
Some conventional non-permanent seating systems are manually deployed. Although effective, significant manpower and time is typically required to deploy and store the system. Manual deployment and storage may be further complicated by the requirement that the non-permanent seating system needs to be deployed in a generally coordinated manner, otherwise, binding or other complications may result. Since the non-permanent seating system by its vary nature is a relatively large structure, coordination during manual deployment and storage coordination may be relatively difficult.
Other conventional non-permanent seating systems drive a wheel system thereof. Such drives require friction with a floor surface such that non-uniform traction may also result in the aforementioned binding.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a non-permanent seating system that can be readily deployed and stored by a minimal number of unskilled persons, provide a multiple of seating configurations, yet will readily achieve a space efficient storage configuration.